The American Valentine card came into prominence due to the interest and vision of a nineteenth century woman who the Greeting Card Association has named as "a visionary." At a time before women could vote and when women did not participate in business, Esther Howland owned and managed her own successful greeting card company.
Born in 1828 in Worcester, Massachusetts as a descendent of Pilgrim colonists, Esther Howland was a brave entrepreneur. Esther~s family owned and operated a well-known Massachusetts book and stationary store. So when Esther was 19 and received an exquisite English lace Valentine, she set out to make these types of Valentines herself. She started by convincing her father to buy lace paper and other supplies from New York and London so that she could produce samples for her salesman brother to take on his sales trips. When her brother returned with over $5,000 worth of orders, everyone was amazed ~ remember, this amount was a lot of money in the mid-1800s.
Esther~s original plan was to make the Valentines herself but even the first orders were more than she could fulfill alone. She hired other ladies to make Valentines for her and she was making Valentines on an assembly line long before Henry Ford was producing automobiles. Her business soon grew to grossing $100,000 a year. Bothered by a knee problem, Esther conducted her business from a wheelchair for 15 years before finally selling it in 1881. Esther Howland died in 1904.
While Esther Howland did not introduce the Valentine to the United States, she is credited with the popularity that the sending of Valentine greetings achieved. Her designs evoked a romantic appeal and flair that has never been equaled. Her lace hearts and flowers allowed Americans to express what was in their hearts at a time when emotions were not to be spoken about. Collectors can instantly recognize her Valentines from their characteristic grace and charm.
The fact that Esther~s cards were on bi-fold stock is not what makes her cards so unique; Esther~s Valentine cards were unique pieces of art with great ingenuity. Incorporating folded paper strings and multiple layers, Esther~s cards were designed so that paper springs had pop- up images and shadow-box effects. Another unique feature about her cards is they weren~t made with stock factory greetings; customers selected preferred sayings from booklets that were sold to dealers. The latest use of this concept is seen in customized e-mail greeting cards.
Thanks to a visionary self-starter, the modern American greeting card industry is thriving with over 5,000 companies scattered across the U.S. In honor of Esther Howland, the
Greeting Card Association awarded her at the 2001 National Stationary Show in New York with the first ~Esther Howland Award For A Greeting Card Visionary~.
Copyright 2005 Enrique Haft. All rights reserved.
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Enrique Haft is the owner and operator of Fay
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which is a leading resource for valentine related
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